Job Design

JOB DESIGNJOB DESIGN

““Job design is aimed at reducing or Job design is aimed at reducing or overcoming job dissatisfaction and overcoming job dissatisfaction and employee alienation arising from employee alienation arising from repetitive and mechanistic tasks.”repetitive and mechanistic tasks.”

Jobs are designed by answering questions like :

• What is the job’s description?• What is the objective of doing the job?• Who does the job?• What background, training, or skills are

required to do the job?

Additional Job Design FactorsAdditional Job Design Factors Technical feasibilityTechnical feasibility

• The job must be physically and mentally The job must be physically and mentally workableworkable

Economic feasibilityEconomic feasibility• Cost of performing the job is less than Cost of performing the job is less than

the value it addsthe value it adds Behavioral feasibilityBehavioral feasibility

• Degree to which the job is intrinsically Degree to which the job is intrinsically satisfying the employeesatisfying the employee

Machines or People - Should the Machines or People - Should the Job Be Automated?Job Be Automated?

Safety & risk of injury to workersSafety & risk of injury to workers Repetitive nature of the task Repetitive nature of the task

(Monotonous)(Monotonous) Degree of precision requiredDegree of precision required Complexity of the task Complexity of the task

TECHNIQUES OF JOB DESIGNTECHNIQUES OF JOB DESIGN

JOB ENLARGEMENT JOB ENLARGEMENT JOB ENRICHMENT JOB ENRICHMENT JOB ROTATION JOB ROTATION JOB SIMPLIFICATION JOB SIMPLIFICATION JOB SPECIALISATIONJOB SPECIALISATION

TECHNIQUES OF JOB DESIGNTECHNIQUES OF JOB DESIGN Job enlargementJob enlargement

• Enlarging jobs by adding Enlarging jobs by adding taskstasks

• Results in removing Results in removing worker’s monotony for worker’s monotony for

doing same job again & againdoing same job again & again Job enrichmentJob enrichment

• Vertical expansion of the Vertical expansion of the job through increased job through increased responsibilityresponsibility

• Additional authority, auto-Additional authority, auto-nomy and control over the nomy and control over the way the job is accomplished way the job is accomplished

TECHNIQUES OF JOB DESIGNTECHNIQUES OF JOB DESIGN

Job rotationJob rotation• Shifting of cross trained Shifting of cross trained

workers to other tasksworkers to other tasks• Broadens Broadens

understanding, reduces understanding, reduces fatiguefatigue

Job SimplificationJob Simplification• Jobs are broken into Jobs are broken into

relatively simple tasks relatively simple tasks • Greater productivityGreater productivity

JOB SPECIALISATIONJOB SPECIALISATION

ORGANISATIONAL ACTIVITIES

TASK - 1 TASK-2 TASK-3

EMPLOYEE -1 EMPLOYEE-2 EMPLOYEE-3

JOB DESIGNJOB DESIGN

Job SpecializationJob Specialization

Job specialization is the separation of Job specialization is the separation of organizational activities into distinct organizational activities into distinct tasks and the assignment of different tasks and the assignment of different tasks to different people.tasks to different people.

Specialization-Management’s ViewSpecialization-Management’s View

AdvantagesAdvantages:: Readily available Readily available

laborlabor Minimal training Minimal training

requiredrequired Reasonable wages Reasonable wages High productivityHigh productivity

DisadvantagesDisadvantages:: Absenteeism Absenteeism

affects productivityaffects productivity High scrap rate High scrap rate

while using while using substitute during substitute during absence of a absence of a particular specialistparticular specialist

Specialization-Employee’s ViewSpecialization-Employee’s View

AdvantagesAdvantages:: Minimal credentials Minimal credentials

requiredrequired Minimal Minimal

responsibilitiesresponsibilities Minimal mental Minimal mental

effort neededeffort needed Reasonable wagesReasonable wages

DisadvantagesDisadvantages:: BoredomBoredom Little growth Little growth

opportunityopportunity Little room for Little room for

initiative for overallinitiative for overall improvementimprovement

Alternative WorkplacesAlternative Workplaces Alternative workplaces are made possible Alternative workplaces are made possible

by technologies like email, e-networks, cell by technologies like email, e-networks, cell phones, & video conferencingphones, & video conferencing

CURRENT SITUATIONCURRENT SITUATION• More than 30 million employees work in More than 30 million employees work in

alternative workplacesalternative workplaces• A survey at IBM reveals that 87% of alternative A survey at IBM reveals that 87% of alternative

workplace employees believe their workplace employees believe their effectiveness has increased significantlyeffectiveness has increased significantly

• Sun Microsystems gives many of its designers Sun Microsystems gives many of its designers the option to work at homethe option to work at home